3A girls soccer championship: Peterson’s goal pushes Morgan past Ogden for fourth state title | News, Sports, Jobs - Standard-Examiner

HERRIMAN — Revenge is best served on the state stage.

It’s what No. 4 Morgan experienced firsthand Saturday, claiming its fourth state title with a narrow 2-1 victory over No. 6 Ogden in the 3A girls soccer championship at Zions Bank Stadium.

Stolen of such valor a year ago, the Trojans (16-5) entered the game short a starting goalkeeper and hungry to stop Ogden (14-8) short of a second consecutive state title. The Tigers, too, were challenged with keeping their playing level consistent with their three previous shutout victories with the loss of senior forward Kate Pulley during the semifinals.

Morgan coach Bryan Searle became candid when asked about the road back to his team’s first state title since 2020.

“It’s been a troubled couple years with some of the people in our program,” Searle said. “Just as we started, I told the girls there was something special about them. … They were dedicated through the summer, through weight training, through the spring — they did what we asked them to.”

Morgan lost, then regained a one-goal lead in the second half and forced Ogden into a corner as chances dried up down the stretch. Morgan backup keeper Maddie Fisher, who consistently tended the net in the second half throughout the regular season, kept the Tigers at bay with three critical saves.

Simply put, Morgan did its homework. Idaho State commit Lacie Poll and her four fellow Trojan seniors put forth an executive order Friday to hold practice the night before Saturday’s championship.

“It means a lot to us because we’ve worked so hard to get here,” Poll said. “We really wanted to (hold practice) to boost our confidence because it’s a big game. … (Ogden)’s really quick up top and it was nice to have our back four ready for that.”

“To beat them any time, we’ll take it,” Searle added. “… They kept pushing. They stuck to our game plan, kept pushing it, pushing it and pushing it and finally we got a couple of breaks.”

Ogden picked up two early chances from the corner, but Morgan only needed about 15 minutes to strike first on a free kick by Macie Burton from roughly 40 yards away. Sixteen minutes later, Ogden goalkeeper Grace Malan denied a close-range look by Kendall Peterson in diving fashion.

Fisher, starting in place of an injured Skye Bernardo, preserved the Trojans’ one-score lead by catching a beaming corner kick by Ogden’s Bella Gray with six minutes remaining in the first half. Elle Weston set Megan Beus up for another scoring opportunity with three minutes to go, but Morgan’s Macey Miller rallied to the ball and disrupted the connection heading into the break.

A penalty kick drawn against Morgan gave way to an easy Ogden goal scored by Weston to knot things up 1-1 at the top of the second half. The Trojans struck back right away, with Peterson putting away a leaping header on a corner kick via Poll.

“We don’t have a lot of players that’ll head the ball but she’s one of them,” Searle said. “She got up and she attacked the ball out of the air.”

The Trojans received a second penalty shortly after the score, setting Gray up with a chance to tie things up again on a roughly 30-yard free kick with 25 minutes to go. Gray’s kick sailed on target, but a jumping Fisher denied the goal for her second save of the match.

Malan followed that stop with a save of her own, blocking a 40-yard free kick by Emma Toone to hold the Tigers’ deficit at one goal with 14 minutes left. A Morgan yellow card gave Ogden another solid chance to even the score, but Fisher tracked down Hannah Lewis’ 45-yarder with six minutes remaining.

The Tigers’ last chance came on a ball played in by Lewis with just three minutes to go. Lewis’ kick reached Beus in the right spot, but her kick was a tad too strong — sending the ball just over the crossbar.

Weston, a sophomore, said the loss especially hurt for her seven senior teammates, but commended Morgan for putting forth a quality performance at the end of the line.

“We played our hearts out and honestly it’s sad,” Weston said. “(Morgan)’s really physical. They’re always our competition, somehow. They come out strong.”

Ogden’s state runner-up finish is a strong first impression for Tigers coach Alexis King, who helped lead Ogden from a 2-6 start to a share of the Region 13 title. The first-year coach credited her seniors with laying the framework for seasons ahead.

“Our seniors stepped up to become the leaders our younger girls needed,” King said. “We couldn’t have done it without them and their leadership.”

Connect with prep sports reporter Conner Becker via email at [email protected] and X @ctbecker.